"Education is... the key to global peace and prosperity."

- Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General

A Parable in Tribute

By Nitin Orayan on 15 February 2013

A Parable written as a tribute to the saint Nityananda of Ganeshpuri (MH), India who recognized me in completeness with his divine spirit when I walked into this land of saints, not knowing anyone or without intention…

I was already living a strange life, for some time of my life then, over a decade, having disconnected with the everyday life of humans and feeling and finding energetic truths of existence… and suddenly chancing on this deep connection with a Saint who was, while in human form, known to be an Avdhoot, God’s messenger on Earth, without a clear past or history.

Spellbound by his magnetic energy and the vortex of grace around his Samadhi shrine, and wondering for quite a while what it was that bonded me with him (not as a human form but as an embodiment of all pervasive universal soul).. I heard about him from older residents of this land, as a human being walking this earth and doing wonderful things for children and people.. and my being was filled with fascination for this human .. my imagination flowering to a new recognition of lives that rise to fullness in Consciousness, and my fingers coming to life and pushing the pen to make out words of a story that I later titled “The Lone Traveller”.

I haven’t officially published this book as yet but have had the chance to share it and read out portions of it to many spiritual seekers and yogis as they and I met as life flowed from one day to another.. many of them awakened souls who wished to seek inspiration from this piece of soulful writing. In this space of writing a monthly column/article on spiritual awareness, I hope to share very beautiful parts of the book that dwell on mysteries surrounding our human existence, and the simplicity of truth that de-mystifies the mystery.

In this story, essentially comprising of a long walk taken by the lean bodied & bearded , loin-cloth clad lone traveler and a 12 years old village boy across a deep thick forest where mysteries of life abound in full glory, and the boy bursting with questions as he stumbles on fascinating realities of life, and the wise wanderer answering him in childlike simplicity. As a backdrop of the story, the fascination and search for the wanderer begins when villagers witness this apparition of a lean bearded man appearing out of a thick forest across the river that separates the village from it, dipping in the river and vanishing again. The 12 years old lively and sensitive child joins the search party of young villagers and what follows after that is the book in not so many words but containing within them a universe of truthful revelations.

In this time’s page, I am happy to share with you the part of the story where the meeting of these two souls, occurs as destiny may have decried it ages before the actual occurrence.

From the book “The Lone Traveller”
The boy was breathing so much soul into the flute, ‘with the man of the forest’ on his mind, that more life drew into his vortex.

….The occasion was filled with romance, rising high above to kiss the sky and be blessed.

The sudden gentle caress of deer’s skin opened the boy’s eyes to the wonderful sight around him, and he was astounded to see this delight. He turned his head askance to notice the natural world in an altogether new space, his tune still charming it wholly.

Then, at that very moment, turning his head back, he stopped playing his flute abruptly, and stared. His hand that held the flute came down gently, slow as a feather would meet with the ground.

Standing before him, tall and lanky, coming from no-where, the celestial appearance as if dropped from heaven above, meant to have graced the boy’s sight with his presence.

The tall man with long flowing hair stood in front of the boy, his eyes feasting the joy in blissful wonder. The boy put his flute down on the ground, overcome by the sight of beholding this appearance, he had longed to meet. In the blink of an eye, he understood that his dream had been realized!

Everything came to a standstill for a long time incalculable.

The boy gazed at the men behind the radiating presence and he suddenly shuddered to think of them pouncing on him and capturing him for the whole village to see. This thought weighing on his mind, and he missed a beat to discover his folk frozen like blocks of wood, and then looked again at the wonder before his eyes.

With a deep breath of respite, he looked into those clear eyes that reminded him of the flowing river.

They smiled recognition, glowing warmth of oneness, and his fear vanished from his mind.

The boy smiled back with a love that he had just discovered. He had so often dreamt to touch this sight someday, and now his chance beckoned him to stretch both his hands, longing to feel the touch unknown.

Their hands met and the boy felt a wave of subtle emotion surge all over his body, and searching through the space of his mind.

“Who are you … an Angel?”

The words that left the boy’s tongue were scarcely even thought. His voice was pursed but the question longed deeply for response.

“I am human like you ... a wanderer…” answered the man, from the pair of lips that were smiling and tender.

The wanderer pointed a lean elegant finger all over his white form covered only by a loin cloth, as he spoke to the boy.

The boy heard and thought the answer, then spoke in a probing tone of voice.

“But you don’t seem like human in some way …”

The wanderer waved his hands, stretching them left to right and above the head.

“I am light as the wind that blows here and everywhere. I flow like the water as the current carries the river to an unknown end. I eat the fruit that falls on my way, longing to be picked and tasted. I move about in the forest as if I were not here, letting it be. I bask in the joy of being alive in this body to experience the beauty of creation all around. I do not overlook even for a moment’s while that I am a wonderful creature of this bountiful universe …”

He smiled at the boy fondly, and patted him on the head, in a paternal manner.
“Will you teach me to play that piece of wood?” he asked the boy, pointing to the flute still in his hands.

“Oh yes, of course ...” the boy nodded with a shy smile, then queried further, reflecting on his pressing purpose.
“But where is your home in this forest? The forest is full of wild beasts, so what if one savage must attack you and eat you up!” he asked with an innocent curiosity that had been burning in his heart, since long.

“The beasts are wild, but they don’t harm me ...”

“Why wouldn’t they harm you, if you are just human like us, as you say ...” the boy countered, still trying to investigate.

“I wouldn’t be harmed by a wild beast because I don’t fear one …
Is a wild beast any less wonderful than I, to be feared!” the wanderer answered with a calmness that must have alarmed the boy’s sensitive mind.

“Yes ... They eat to survive just as the deer grazes on green life in the meadow, which tastes just as good to them ...” he stretched his hand towards the boy, and added with an open beam lighting his face,

“Come, I will show you where I live.”

Nitin Orayan is a multi-faceted person who has worked extensively and contributed to diverse fields of activity such as Mass media, Education and Social Service.
He was raised in the city of Bombay (INDIA), where he did his schooling and Post-graduate studies in Mass Communications from a reputed Institute.
From his early days in school, the author has been drawn to philosophical thought and Self-searching. In his search for truth, he studied many translations of ancient scriptures, especially the Vedanta and other eastern treatises like the I Ching, Lao Tzu’s writings on Taoism, and the Zen wisdom.

Around middle of the year 2002, he lived in an abandoned Hindu monastery near Ganeshpuri in Maharashtra for a few months when he penned his first book based on his inner reflections of the path to Self-Refinement, titled “Integrate the Self” with audio CD.
(Published by Pustak Mahal, New Delhi, First Ed. Aug 2003; Second Ed. Jan 2007. Refer www.pustakmahal.com.).

On the basis of his own experience of evolving a finer way to live one’s life and with his fieldwork in the village schools, Nitin Orayan has set up a non-profit educational service project called “LEARNING SPACE, refer www.learningspacefoundation.in at Ganeshpuri (MH), India, for promoting better education for children and adults in the tribal region.

About the author

Nitin was raised in Mumbai, India, where he completed his schooling and post-graduate studies in Mass Communications at a reputable institution. From his early days in school, he was drawn to philosophical… Read full bio